Referees learn ropes at event

STOCKTON - Sac-Joaquin Section Foundation volleyball matches present an opportunity for players and coaches to gain experience in a scrimmage.

Michael Sudhalter

STOCKTON - Sac-Joaquin Section Foundation volleyball matches present an opportunity for players and coaches to gain experience in a scrimmage.

They're not the only ones learning.

The Northern California Officials Association uses the annual games, which don't count in teams' records, to train new officials.

The section held 62 Foundation Games on Thursday, and NCOA officials agreed to donate their time so the section could raise money for the A. Dale Lackey Scholarship Fund. Last year, the section awarded $32,200 to 47 student-athletes.

"I don't mind giving up my time because the kids are looking forward to a contact," NCOA volleyball second vice president Raoul Rosal said. "And it only makes us better because the kids are learning, and we're learning. Actually, we're teaching the junior officials."

One of them is Dave Hart, a 32-year-old basketball referee.

He was hoping to learn some things during Thursday's Foundation Game between Edison High and Weston Ranch High at Taggart Gym.

"I'll be as nervous or more nervous than the players," Hart said before the game.

Hart worked with Rosal, a 56-year-old Stockton resident and a veteran volleyball official, who taught him how to use a lineup card, how to handle substitutions and how to track the libero during the game.

Hart, who played basketball for Michigan State from 1992-96, said he was able to pick up some things from Rosal.

"I think I missed a few calls, but it was fun," Hart said. "If I missed a call, he'd whisper something in my ear.

"The biggest thing I need to work on is learning how to judge the ball handling of the players, what's legal and what's illegal."

Larissa Rebultan, 22, enters her third season as a volleyball official and remembers how beneficial the Foundation Game was when she started.

"The coaches were really friendly; the players were friendly," Rebultan said. "It allowed me to mess up and learn from my mistakes."

Rosal said he's proud to give back to the community through the Foundation Games.

"It's about giving back to the kids," Rosal said. "If you're in the officiating to make money, you're in the wrong business. Just seeing the kids play is rewarding. If there were three Foundation games, I would give up time to work them."